More or Less

BBC Radio 4

Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.

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1,133 episodes
Updated Saturday

Episodes1133

Newest first

Dec 4, 2017 · 10 min
Just how lucky are regular lottery winners?
How statistics were used to show how unlikely it is to win hundreds of times by chance.
Nov 26, 2017 · 8 min
WS More or Less: How Rich was Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy?
What the Pride and Prejudice character would have earned in today’s money.
Nov 17, 2017 · 8 min
How expensive is Italy's World Cup failure?
How much will Italy's surprise failure to make it to the world cup cost FIFA?
Nov 12, 2017 · 13 min
WS More or Less: Why Albums are Getting Longer
More or less finds out the numbers that are changing modern music.
Nov 5, 2017 · 8 min
WS More or Less: Do Nigerian lawmakers get $1.7m and do Yams cause twins?
Finding out if Nigerian politicians really get paid more than the American President.
Oct 30, 2017 · 8 min
WS More or Less: Novelists in numbers
Counting the favourite words of well-known authors: Stephen King, Hemingway and others
Oct 20, 2017 · 8 min
WS More or Less: Are US millennials more politically engaged online?
Did the 2016 US election galvanise young people to become more engaged in politics?
Oct 13, 2017 · 22 min
How Richard Thaler changed Economics
The behavioural economist who has inspired governments around the world.
Oct 10, 2017 · 8 min
WS More or Less: Kilobyte to Brontobyte
Naming the monster numbers - how the names of digital storage files evolved.
Oct 2, 2017 · 9 min
WS More or Less: Big polluters - ships versus cars
Do the largest ships emit as much pollution as all the cars in the world?
Sep 29, 2017 · 24 min
Uber; EU passports; counting domestic violence
Is Uber safe? The post Brexit dual nationality surge and measuring partner abuse.
Sep 25, 2017 · 9 min
WS More or Less: Sperm - Are we going extinct?
How much of a problem is falling sperm count?
Sep 22, 2017 · 25 min
Statistics abuse, tuition fees and beer in 1887
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is accused of mis-using official statistics.
Sep 15, 2017 · 9 min
WS More or Less: How to measure a Hurricane
What’s the best way to measure a hurricane?
Sep 15, 2017 · 25 min
Are Natural Disasters on the Rise?
Has the number of natural disasters really quadrupled in the last forty years?
Sep 11, 2017 · 9 min
WS More or Less: More Horses than Tanks?
Is the UK the only country with more horses than tanks in its army?
Sep 8, 2017 · 25 min
Electric cars, school-ready and feedback
Will we need more power stations? Plus, are children in Manchester ready for school?
Sep 4, 2017 · 6 min
One in 500 Year Storm
Experts say that Houston just suffered a one in 500 year storm but what does that mean?
Sep 1, 2017 · 27 min
Grenfell Tower's Death Toll
The difficulties of finding the true number of people who died in the fire.
Aug 28, 2017 · 10 min
Fantasy Football - How to win
Figuring out the best strategy as a wannabe team manager.